Negan From 'The Walking Dead' Is Like the Joker, Norman Reedus Says

Negan, the new villain introduced at the end of season six of "The Walking Dead," is preparing for a long stay on the show, set to dominate season seven and remain a threat for the foreseeable future. It takes a special character to make such a huge impression so late in the show's run, but Negan seems up to the task, and according to one original "TWD" star, he's very similar to another iconic villain who also hails from the comic world.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Norman Reedus discussed what it was like to add Negan to the mix, and how the cast has acclimated to working with the actor behind him, Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Reedus had nothing but praise for his new costar, noting that Morgan was able to elicit some pretty devastating reactions from the rest of the cast while filming that now-infamous season six finale cliffhanger, in which Negan beats one of the Alexandria crew to death with his baseball bat, Lucille.

Speaking to both the character's comic inspiration as well as the huge expectations that come with introducing someone already well known to "Walking Dead" graphic novel readers, Reedus likened Negan to another familiar, charismatic villain. Here's how he explained it to EW:

He's a prick [laughs] but you know, I have to say, Jeffrey's killing it — no pun intended. He's great. He's super charismatic, and he's enjoying being this jerk way too much, as a matter of fact. You know, it's a real blessing we have him on the show. He's brought so much new energy to this show, and that character is like the Joker. It has to be great, and he's delivering, and everyone likes him, and he's fun. He's a cool guy and everything, but in the moment, everyone wants to f—ing kill him, and then we wrap, and we're all having fun again. So he's a great addition to the show.

It sounds like Morgan's costars have gotten along with him much better than Jared Leto's "Suicide Squad" castmates, who were terrorized by Leto's creepy gifts and odd behavior during production. And what we've seen from him so far indicates that everything Reedus said is true.

Look for even more Negan when "The Walking Dead" returns for season seven on October 23.